JULY 10

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

NAMES GIVEN TO JESUS IN THE BIBLE:

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SACRIFICIAL LAMB—Is 53:7

LION OF JUDAH—Revelation 5:5

GOOD SHEPHERD—Rev 5:5

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This month we will read the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

WHATEVER HAPPENS…..INVIGORATE YOUR LIFE THROUGH PRAYER

Philippians 1:9-11

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,  that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

The psalmist prayed, “Invigorate my soul so I can praise you well.’ (Ps 119:175)

The word “invigorate” means “to put vigor into, to fill with energy.”  Sometimes we think of prayer as a fatiguing chore, when, in truth, it should be invigorating fellowship with the One who can fill us with energy so we can praise Him better.

One of the simplest ways to invigorate yourself or someone else through prayer is by learning the words Paul composed as his prayer for the Philippians.  (above)   It’s one of the most powerful prayers in Scripture.

In this passage, Paul explained the virtuous cycle of Christification – how God carries on to completion the good work He has begun in us, (as we talked about yesterday).  There are six steps to the process, and Paul prayed them into the Philippian church.  Were you to learn and apply this prayer rigorously yourself, it would energize your personality!

TREAT OTHERS LOVINGLY

During the years between the Old Testament and the New Testament, a group of Jewish scholars in Egypt translated the Hebrew Bible – our Old Testament – into Greek.  This became known as the Septuagint.  Paul read and studied the Septuagint alongside his Hebrew Bible, and he started his prayer for the Philippian church by asking God that their “love may abound more and more.”

The Septuagint used several Greek words to translate “love,” including the previously obscure word “agape.” The translators infused this term with fresh meaning to describe the sweet and superlative love of Almighty God.

New Testament writers then seized on this word, making “agape” an exclusively wondrous term.  It is God’s own true love, supercharged with grace, that can be channeled through us by God’s Spirit.  This kind of love doesn’t ask what this person can do for me.  It asks instead what I CAN DO for this person.

Many of us have followed Tim Tebow because of his outspoken witness for Christ and the ups and downs of his athletic career.  In a recent interview, he said,

 “The same year I was voted one of the most popular athletes in America, I was cut from my team.  So in the same year,  am I going to be at the high, or am I going to be at the low?  I’m so grateful that when I hold on to God’s truth, I don’t have to be either – I am who God says I am.”

Then he said:

“The first verse my parents made me memorize as a five-year-old boy was “The greatest among you will be a servant.  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”  I didn’t understand it, but my parents knew I was so competitive, and I wanted to play and I loved it.  So before we would play, we had to memorize Scripture verses, and for me, they were primarily on humility ….sometimes it feels like you’re on a roller coaster, but we get to get off and hold on to a firm foundation – and that’s the Word of God.”

We jump onto the virtuous cycle when we realize that one day we may be the most popular person around and the next day we may be cut from the team, but it’s all right because we are who God says we are – and our lives are intended to be marked by humility, seeking to meet the needs of those around us, and those who cross our paths.

MAKE DECISIONS WISELY

As we grow in AGAPE, we make wiser decisions because we develop greater knowledge and depth of insight.  We see things more clearly.  Verses 9 and 10 go on to ask that their love would “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best”

As we let God’s “servanting” love increasingly control us, we learn more about His will and His ways.  Every decision has consequences, and one bad decision can reap a whirlwind.  It leads to another, creating a downward cycle, the very opposite of what God wants for us.  Through the years, I’ve made bad decisions too.  But the more time I spend in Scripture – reading it, studying it, memorizing and pondering it – the more I am able to grow in knowledge and depth of insight so I can discern what is best.  One of my frequent prayers comes from an old hymn:

“Teach me thy way, O Lord: teach me thy way!   Thy guiding grace afford; teach me thy way.  Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight.  Lead me with heav’nly light; teach me thy way!”

Renowned theologian J. I. Packer wrote about the process of going to the Lord for everything that comes up, that we might know what to do and how to react.  He said:

“’Going to Him’ is an umbrella phrase that covers three things:  praying;  meditating, which includes thinking, reflecting, drawing conclusions from Scripture, and applying them directly to oneself in Jesus’ presence;  and holding oneself open throughout the process to specific illumination from the Holy Spirit….

These Christians cope with events in the spirit of peace, joy and eagerness to see what God will do next.  Others, however, who are no less committed to Jesus as their Savior, never master this art of habitually going to Him about life’s challenges.”

If we go to God in everything, we’ll have wisdom and discernment on every needed occasion – which is just about always.

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